Appearance and Character

Quentyn is short-legged and stocky, thickly built, with a plain face, brown hair,[4][8] brown eyes, and stubble on his cheeks.[9] He has a high forehead, broad nose, and square jaw.[8][9] He does not smile easily.[8] Quentyn is sensible and dutiful,[4] but solemn and not handsome.[9][2]

Quentyn is cautious by nature[8] and filled with doubts, fears, and insecurities.[1][8][10] He does not want to be remembered as a failure, and cannot bear the thought of his father's disappointment,[3][4][8] nor does he want friends to die for nothing.[3]

History

Quentyn was born the second child of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne, and his wife, Lady Mellario of Norvos.[11] At a young age, Quentyn was sent to be fostered by Lord Anders Yronwood, whom he served as a page and later squire.[12] Quentyn was fostered at Yronwood to repair the relationship between House Martell and House Yronwood, which had been damaged by a duel between Quentyn’s uncle, Prince Oberyn Martell, and Lord Edgar Yronwood, more than a decade before. Edgar and Oberyn had both taken cuts during this duel, but while Oberyn recovered, Edgar's wounds festered and he eventually died. This led to whispers that Oberyn had fought with a poisoned blade,[13] so sending Quentyn to Yronwood was to settle this blood debt.[14] Mellario felt Quentyn was too young to be sent away, however, and the boy's fosterage was one of the strains on his parents' marriage.[14]

When Quentyn first arrived at Yronwood, he was smitten with Lord Anders's eldest daughter, Ynys. His crush lasted until the day she wed and left Yronwood. He received his first kiss from one of the Drinkwater twins, though Quentyn never knew which one.[8]

Once, when Quentyn had already been at Yronwood, Prince Doran wrote him a letter in which he instructed Quentyn to do all his maester and master-at-arms required of him, as Quentyn would one day rule Dorne, and he therefore needed to be strong of both mind and body.[12] While Quentyn's elder sister, Princess Arianne Martell, is Doran's heir by Dornish custom, the Prince of Dorne had negotiated a secret marriage pact by which Arianne is to wed the exiled Viserys Targaryen and Quentyn would instead become the successor to Dorne.[15]

After Arianne’s coup to crown Princess Myrcella Baratheon fails,[14] she is arrested and confined at Sunspear for several weeks.[15] When she confronts her father, she reveals that she is aware that Quentyn traveled across the narrow sea, and that Prince Doran had considered Quentyn his heir. Doran then tells Arianne the truth about a secret marriage pact, and reveals what Quentyn has been sent east for.[15]

A Dance with Dragons

In Dorne, Doran tells his daughter Arianne that he has heard how a great fleet, mostly Volantene ships, has set sail from Lys, and that there had been talk about elephants. Believing that it might be Daenerys, Doran states that, if Quentyn is with her, he will bring her up to the Greenblood if he can.[18] In truth, however, the Golden Company has set sail for the stormlands.[19][20]

Quentyn and his companions spend more time in Volantis than they had expected, due to the conflicts in Slaver's Bay, attempting to find a ship willing to bring them to Meereen. Gerris pretends to be a wine merchant looking for a ship to take him and his two "servants" to Meereen, but every captain they try to convince to take them on this journey refuses, and in the end they are forced to consider seeking passage on the smuggler's ship Adventure.[8] While the war between Astapor and Yunkai has not yet reached Meereen, no trade ships are leaving for the city as the fighting pits are closed and the slave trade has been banned.[8][21]

Eventually, Quentyn and his two companions join the Windblown, a mercenary company hired by Yunkai, as a way to reach Daenerys.[1][8] Quentyn is given the nickname "Frog" by the other sellswords, and he acts as the squire to Archibald, who is called "Greenguts".[19] Quentyn and his companions fight incognito during the siege of Astapor. Quentyn, Gerris and Archibald plan to desert once they are north of Yunkai, but the Tattered Prince orders them and other Westerosi from the company to defect to Daenerys's side. The Tattered Prince wants to make sure that, should the tide turn, he will be still on the winning side.[1] The feigned Windblown turncloaks are eventually found by the Stormcrows, and Daario Naharis brings them to Meereen,[22] where Quentyn dresses plainly.[2]

Daario brings the feigned turncloaks to Queen Daenerys in her audience chamber and presents them as recruits of his Stormcrows. Quentyn and his friends reveal that they are knights, but ask for privacy in order to reveal their names. After the court is cleared, Quentyn hands over his "gift", a parchment containing a secret pact, signed by Ser Willem Darry and Prince Oberyn Martell, with the Sealord of Braavos witnessing the signatures. The pact was for Viserys Targaryen to wed Quentyn's sister, Arianne, in return for Dorne's support in helping the exile regain the Iron Throne. With Viserys having died at Vaes Dothrak, however, Quentyn now offers himself as a husband for Daenerys in return for the support of Dorne. Daario mocks Quentyn, angering his companions. Daenerys orders Quentyn and his friends to be treated courteously, and reveals her upcoming marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq. She gives the Dornishmen a room in the pyramid.[9] While Ser Barristan Selmy believes Quentyn's arrival changes everything, Daenerys disagrees, and she wonders about Quaithe's prophecy and the "sun's son".[9]

Quentyn approaches Daenerys the next day, the day of her wedding, wondering if he has displeased her. Daenerys tells Quentyn that one day, she will come to Westeros and look to Dorne for help.[9] Quentyn reveals to Daenerys and her court that the other Windblown who had joined the Stormcrows had done so under false pretenses, and the feigned turncloaks are arrested.[2]

Quentyn and his companions are present at the feast held to celebrate the signing of the peace between Meereen and Yunkai. Queen Daenerys invites him to meet Rhaegal and Viserion. The dragons frighten Quentyn, but nonetheless he tells Daenerys about his own Targaryen ancestry. Daenerys tells him that he does not belong in Meereen, and urges him to return home, as her court is not a safe place for him. Quentyn refuses, and tells Daenerys about her namesake during their journey back up the pyramid.[2]

Quentyn tries to speak with Daenerys on the day Daznak's Pit is opened, but is denied an audience. He is in attendance when Daenerys disappears from Daznak's Pit atop Drogon,[23] and is later present when King Hizdahr is presented with Captain Groleo's head. Barristan questions Quentyn about his possible involvement in the food which poisoned Belwas, but soon concludes that Quentyn is innocent. With Daenerys gone, Barristan advises the three Dornishmen to return home and forget about the pact, but Quentyn declines, stating that he cannot return to Dorne empty handed.[4]

Quentyn's companions are keen to return to Dorne, but the prince plans to tame at least one of Daenerys's dragons due to his Targaryen ancestry. He arranges a meeting with the Tattered Prince, hiring the Windblown's help in seizing Rhaegal and Viserion. The Tattered Prince agrees, asking for Pentos in return. Quentyn signs an agreement.[3] Dressed as Brazen Beasts, Quentyn and his companions go to the pit where the dragons are kept. The Tattered Prince had given them the code word of "dog" to be used by the Brazen Beasts that day, but with Barristan's coup occurring at the same time, the Brazen Beasts guarding the door are not aware of the code word. Gaining access to the dragons, Quentyn eventually attempts to tame Viserion, but Rhaegal bathes Quentyn from behind with dragonfire. The Windblown mercenaries flee, and both dragons escape.[10]

Missandei takes care of Quentyn, but he dies in Daenerys's bed three days later, covered in burns. Upon seeing the extent of the prince's injuries, Barristan thinks it would have been better if Rhaegal had just eaten him alive, as his death would haven been quicker and less painful in such a case.[5] The imprisoned Archibald and Gerris claim Quentyn's actions were done for love of Daenerys, but Barristan insists they were done out of duty for Dorne. The surviving Dornish knights agree to act as Barristan's envoys to the Tattered Prince.[5]

The Winds of Winter

Warning This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change.

Quotes about Quentyn

That one is his father's son. Short and stocky, plain-faced, he seemed a decent lad, sober, sensible, dutiful ... but not the sort to make a young girl's heart beat faster. And Daenerys Targaryen, whatever else she might be, was still a young girl, as she herself would claim when it pleased her to play the innocent. Like all good queens she put her people first—else she would never have wed Hizdahr zo Loraq—but the girl in her still yearned for poetry, passion, and laughter. She wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud. You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud and grow a crop to feed your children. Mud would nourish you, where fire would only consume you, but fools and children and young girls would choose fire every time.[4]

Barristan: Prince Quentyn's death was his own doing, and yours.Gerris: Ours? How are we at fault, ser? Quentyn was our friend, yes. A bit of a fool, you might say, but all dreamers are fools. But first and last he was our prince. We owed him our obedience.[5]